Civic Engagement and the Student

Dear Families,

Whether through class discussions and projects, current events presentations, or registering voters on Sixth Avenue, the current election has provided an authentic opportunity for middle school students to consider what it means to be informed and active citizens. Last week in Middle School meeting, the class reps read a series of quotes without attribution to Senators McCain and Obama and asked their classmates if they could determine which quote was spoken by which candidate. It was not quite as easy as students thought and through this experience we affirmed the need for citizens to research the issues and to be thoughtful and critical thinkers. This activity served as a kick-off to our Mock Election project. In order to participate, students were required to register in advance of the election day and were informed that they would need to give up some time during recess and lunch on voting day if they wanted to vote. Students were also given a chance to review the ballot so that they could consider thoughtfully the set of issues questions on which they would be asked to vote.

There was a strong turn out of eighth graders who voted early on Tuesday because they would be at Minimester on Wednesday. The polls opened for fifth through eighth graders on Wednesday and while students had to wait in line to vote electronically in the computer lab, the polling place was well monitored by the class reps. Students were able to vote for President and Vice President and Representatives. They were also asked to consider a number of critical domestic and foreign policy issues, a slate of issues specifically relevant to young people, and a number of issues relevant to life in the Middle School. The results of our election will provide opportunities for additional discussion and inquiry as the real election approaches; the results of the questions specific to LREI will provide important information for the class reps and their on-going work.

As John Dewey observed in Democracy and Education (1916) “A democracy is more than a form of government; it is primarily a mode of associated living, of conjoint communicated experience.” That shared sense of experience was clearly evident in the conversations and palpable excitement that surrounded our mock election. Moving beyond their relevance to this particular experience, Dewey’s words have profound implications for how schools conceive of the educational process itself. Schools that consciously organize themselves around this foundational idea are, through their very structure, educating students for active participation in a democratic society. We’ve worked hard to structure LREI in this kind of way and as Dewey observed elsewhere in Democracy and Education, “In static societies, societies which make the maintenance of established custom their measure of value, this conception applies in the main. But not in progressive communities. They endeavor to shape the experiences of the young so that instead of reproducing current habits, better habits shall be formed, and thus the future adult society be an improvement on their own.”

With that in mind, I encourage you to consider our students’ take on some of the issues that are at the center of the upcoming election (click here for a summary of our mock election results). They present a unique look into what is on their minds. I hope that their responses will inform the on-going dialog taking place at home about these important issues. Regardless of the outcome, on Wednesday, November 5th, we will run an extended morning homeroom so that students can share and discuss their responses to the election. We will also meet as a whole community at our regular Middle School meeting that afternoon.

On other fronts, a reminder that progress reports and family conferences are just around the corner. If you have not already, you will receive in the next few days an email from your child’s advisor with information about how to sign up for a conference. Conferences are scheduled for November 7th and 14th (the Middle School will be closed on both days). Progress reports will go out on Tuesday, November 4th. As part of our sustainability efforts they will be sent out as pdf files. You will receive a paper copy of the fourth quarter report that will include progress report information for the whole year. For additional information from last week’s blog on progress reports and family conferences, please click here.

I look forward to seeing you at the conferences.

This Week’s Attachments
General:
Eighth Grade:
DC Trip Registration Form
Seventh Grade:
Williamsburg Itinerary, Packing List and Permission Form
Fifth and Sixth Grade:

Of General Interest . . .
1) LREI Family Book Night is scheduled for Wednesday, November 5th at 6:30PM in the Sixth Avenue auditorium (not the Charlton Street PAC as reported last week). The theme for this year’s event is Beyond Batman: Graphic Novels for Kids and Teens. This year, your LREI librarians have teamed up with some of today’s hottest authors and illustrators of graphic novel to present an enlightening and enlivening evening of graphic novel recommendations for all ages. Along with the traditional recommendations from the librarians, Jesse Karp (Early Childhood and Interdivisional Librarian) will be moderating a Graphic Novels panel. Panelists will include Holly Black (The Good Neighbors: Kin, Beyond Spiderwick, Tithe) Cecil Castellucci (The Plain Janes, Janes in Love, Beige, Boy Proof) Geoffrey Hayes (Benny and Penny) Steven Sheinkin (The Adventures of Rabbi Harvey, Rabbi Harvey Rides Again) and LREI parent Voltaire (Deady Bear, Oh My Goth). A selection of the recommended titles will be for sale. We welcome an audience of third grade and up. Children of all ages are welcome; there will be childcare available for the younger set, with pizza and story reading.

2) From the Big Auction Committee: The Big Auction will be held on March 5th, 2009 and the Art Auction is scheduled to take place during the 2009-2010 school year. You should have received a letter in the mail, along with a donation form. Our goal this year is to have every parent solicit one item for the auction…we hope that you will join us in realizing this goal! If you have any questions or would like to discuss a potential donation, please contact Jenn at jenn_espo@msn.com or Mamie at mamie.mcindoe@gmail.com. If you prefer, you can also contact the Office of Advancement. Pippa can be reached at 212-477-5316 x236 or pgerard@lrei.org, and Sandra at 212-477-5316 x275 or ssong@lrei.org. Thank you in advance for your support!

3) For updates on faculty performances, openings, presentations, and publications visit the Faculty in the News page on the school web site.

4) LREI is a member of NYC-Parents in Action (NYC-PIA). NYC-PIA provides parenting education, information and a communications network to help parents prepare their children and teenagers to cope with social pressures and to make sound choices towards a future free of alcohol and drug abuse. Please read the attached flyer to view their 2008-2009 calendar. You can also access their website at http://www.parentsinaction.org/.

  • November 11, 2008
    An Expert’s Guide to Negotiating the Prickly Points of the ‘Tween Years
    Temple Israel, 112 East 75th Street, 12:00-2:00 pm
    Speaker: Julie Ross, M.A., Executive Director and Founder of Parenting Horizons; Author of “Practical Parenting for the 21st Century: The Manual You Wish Had Come With Your Child” and “How to Hug a Porcupine: Negotiating the Prickly Points of ‘Tween Years”

For all grades . . .
1) This week (Wednesday-Friday), the eighth grade are participating in Minimester at the High School. This is an exciting time to experience life in the high school and to dig into an exciting elective offering. For more information about Minimester, please read High School principal Ruth Jurgensen’s blog from last week.

2) If you child wants to Trick or Treat for UNICEF, s/he should see Gabrielle Keller to get a box. Please click here for detailed information about the drive. Alternatively, students can download a canister wrapper and make a greener UNICEF box. There are also additional ways to help that you can read about at http://youth.unicefusa.org/.

3) This Saturday is our rescheduled city-wide Fall It’s My Park! Day 2008 . As we do each year for this event, we will turn our attention to taking care of Little Red Square in front of the Sixth Avenue building. We will be doing planting and construction of new barriers for the tree pits. Come for an hour or several hours. We will start at 10AM and go until about 1PM. If your child(ren) (and you) are interested in joining us please let Gabrielle Keller (gkeller@lrei.org) know.

4) Retakes and individual and class pictures for the fifth and sixth grade will be taken on Tuesday, November 18th. If you want your child to do a retake, please contact me directly at msilberberg@lrei.org. You will receive proofs in the mail directly from Coffee Pond and can choose which photograph you like best. All orders will be placed online using the Coffee Pond website. If you have any questions about ordering, you can email Coffee Pond at lifeguards@coffeepond.com or call 800.635.2323 between 9AM and 5PM on weekdays.

For Eighth Grade Families . . .
1) From Phil: If you were unable to make one of the High School tours, please contact Director of Admissions Samantha Caruth at scaruth@lrei.org or at extension 305. Samantha can arrange a visit for a time that is more convenient for you. In addition to the morning tours, we also invite LREI eighth grade students and parents to attend the High School Open Houses. The open houses provide a forum for students and parents to speak directly with faculty and students about curriculum and program in the High School. The next Open House is scheduled for Monday, November 3rd at 6:30PM. We hope you will join us for one of these events, and see the High School as the right next step for your son or daughter. Please don’t hesitate to contact Mark, Ruth or me with any questions.

2) While the trip to DC is not until the spring, please use the attached form to register your child for the trip. If you have questions about payment, please do not hesitate to contact me.

For Seventh Grade Families . . .
No updates this week.

For Sixth Grade Families . . .
1) Click here to view the photo gallery from the Ashokan trip.

For Fifth Grade Families . . .
1) Click here to view the photo gallery from the Ashokan trip.

2) On Thursday, November 13th, the fifth grade will visit the Met to view their Ancient Near East collection. Students will need to bring a lunch on this day (no nuts, seeds, and glass bottles).

===============For additional information, follow these links: ===============

  • View important middle school dates here.
  • View all events with the LREI On-line Calendar
  • LREI Athletics. For general LREI Athletics news go to this link . This page will provide general announcements, game summaries, league standings and season recaps.
  • Click here to view the Middle School Photo Gallery.

A reminder that the individual homework blog and the “feeds” for every class can be accessed from the Digital Classroom link on the sidebar (you may want to bookmark this page for easy access). These feeds provide an easy “one-click” solution to find out what has been assigned for homework. Keep in mind that a feed will only show what has been posted as of the time you check it.

Don’t forget to check the LREI website for updates and other interesting school-related information.

Be well,
Mark

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